The WestConn MFA Blog has moved to http://westconnmfa.wordpress.com/
Blog members: Please post here no more... see instructions for the new blog below.
Other guests: Please join us at the new blog, visit the program web page at http://www.wcsu.edu/writing/mfa, and look out for the upcoming profile of the program in Writer magazine.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Moving to a New Blog Site
Hello All,
We are moving the Blog from the current Blogger site to a Wordpress site. The new site allows more flexibility with users posting, but keeps the same general features as the Blogger site. All of the content from the Blogger site will be available on the new site. The new MFA blog will be located here: http://westconnmfa.wordpress.com/
I will send you each an email inviting you to become a user on the new blog. Please respond to the email and create an account. Post to the new blog site only. The current Blogger site will be shut down shortly and you will no longer be able to post to it.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Kristin
We are moving the Blog from the current Blogger site to a Wordpress site. The new site allows more flexibility with users posting, but keeps the same general features as the Blogger site. All of the content from the Blogger site will be available on the new site. The new MFA blog will be located here: http://westconnmfa.wordpress.com/
I will send you each an email inviting you to become a user on the new blog. Please respond to the email and create an account. Post to the new blog site only. The current Blogger site will be shut down shortly and you will no longer be able to post to it.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Kristin
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Uconn looking for a Communications Writer
The University of Connecticut is seeking an experienced Marketing Writer Specialist to provide advanced level writing and editing for a wide range of publications, websites and social media platforms. The successful candidate will be expected to exercise originality, creativity and to regularly develop his/her own ideas within broad guidelines established by the supervisor. Work is varied and requires a sound understanding of subject and target audience. Work will include writing for social media platforms, websites, printed material, radio and video scripts.
For full position details please go to: http://communications.uconn.edu/jobs/.
For full position details please go to: http://communications.uconn.edu/jobs/.
A Note to New Students
Incoming (Fall) Students,
If you are planning to enroll part time for the fall, I need to know which courses you want to register. Please let me know no later than April 16.
If you are planning to enroll part time for the fall, I need to know which courses you want to register. Please let me know no later than April 16.
Fall Internships/Practica
Folks, if you are scheduled for the Internship/Practicum course in the fall you should have a pretty clear idea soon of what your internship is going to be. If you don't yet know and are having trouble deciding/identifying an internship, I can help. I do not know yet whether the Internship course is going to be a group course or mentorships; I will know when more folks have submitted their course selections for the fall.
Enrichment Presentations
Folks, at this point, I have only heard from Perotta and Lynne regarding enrichment presentations. If anyone else needs to present in August, please let me know immediately.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Walking for Grad Commencement?
A little birdy tells me that regalia orders are due tomorrow, April 5...
Mentor Requests for Fall
Hello All,
Please copy and paste the lines below into an email message to me with your mentor requests. Do not submit requests for OMG instructors.
First semester students need not submit requests--I assign mentor for all first semester students.
Please be sure to indicate more than one choice for each course. If you only list one choice and you don't get the first choice, then I will assign a mentor to you.
If you are a thesis student for the fall (I believe there are only two of you), please talk to your thesis advisors of choice BEFORE submitting a request to them to make sure they are available and willing to advise your thesis.
DEADLINE: Beginning of day, April 16. If I don't have your requests by the time I come to the office on the 16th, I will assign your mentors.
Student Name: ________________________
Primary/Secondary Genres: _______________________
Course Title:__________________________
1st choice mentor:
2nd choice mentor:
3rd choice mentor:
Course Title:__________________________
1st choice mentor:
2nd choice mentor:
3rd choice mentor:
Course Title:__________________________
1st choice mentor:
2nd choice mentor:
3rd choice mentor:
Please copy and paste the lines below into an email message to me with your mentor requests. Do not submit requests for OMG instructors.
First semester students need not submit requests--I assign mentor for all first semester students.
Please be sure to indicate more than one choice for each course. If you only list one choice and you don't get the first choice, then I will assign a mentor to you.
If you are a thesis student for the fall (I believe there are only two of you), please talk to your thesis advisors of choice BEFORE submitting a request to them to make sure they are available and willing to advise your thesis.
DEADLINE: Beginning of day, April 16. If I don't have your requests by the time I come to the office on the 16th, I will assign your mentors.
Student Name: ________________________
Primary/Secondary Genres: _______________________
Course Title:__________________________
1st choice mentor:
2nd choice mentor:
3rd choice mentor:
Course Title:__________________________
1st choice mentor:
2nd choice mentor:
3rd choice mentor:
Course Title:__________________________
1st choice mentor:
2nd choice mentor:
3rd choice mentor:
Monday, April 02, 2012
AWP 2013 in Boston
Folks, I strongly encourage you to attend next year's AWP conference, which will be in nearby (for those of you in CT) Boston.
They are currently accepting proposals for panels. Jane's panel was accepted in 2012, and I understand it went swimmingly. If you'd like to propose a panel (at the 2012 conference there were 1600 presententers), I strongly encourage you to review the proposal handbook at the link below, review the catalogue of events at a past conference or two, and run your proposal by someone who has had proposals accepted before (Jane or me, for example).
An AWP panel is a great item to have on your c.v. for teaching jobs. Deadline is May 1.
http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2013proposal.php
They are currently accepting proposals for panels. Jane's panel was accepted in 2012, and I understand it went swimmingly. If you'd like to propose a panel (at the 2012 conference there were 1600 presententers), I strongly encourage you to review the proposal handbook at the link below, review the catalogue of events at a past conference or two, and run your proposal by someone who has had proposals accepted before (Jane or me, for example).
An AWP panel is a great item to have on your c.v. for teaching jobs. Deadline is May 1.
http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2013proposal.php
Meet Authors and Agents Easily
Last Thursday, Brian Thiem and I attended Jane K. Cleland's book launch "Dolled Up for Murder" at LIM College in Manhattan. Jane was surrounded by her loyal fans while authors and agents worked the room. Brian and I got to meet author Annamaria Alfieri ("City of Silver") who told us about her career; publishing her debut novel at 68 and just recently signing a two book deal at 71. We'll never forget Annamaria's openness, energy, and love of our craft. Want to meet agents and authors? Go to a book launch--it's great fun.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
For the Chuck Fans
Occasionally Chuck Palanhiuk's website will briefly put up some of his writing seminars. I try to copy them because they don't stay up long. - perrota
Number One:
Two years ago, when I wrote the first of these essays it was about my “egg timer method” of writing. You never saw that essay, but here’s the method: When you don’t want to write, set an egg timer for one hour (or half hour) and sit down to write until the timer rings. If you still hate writing, you’re free in an hour. But usually, by the time that alarm rings, you’ll be so involved in your work, enjoying it so much, you’ll keep going. Instead of an egg timer, you can put a load of clothes in the washer or dryer and use them to time your work. Alternating the thoughtful task of writing with the mindless work of laundry or dish washing will give you the breaks you need for new ideas and insights to occur. If you don’t know what comes next in the story… clean your toilet. Change the bed sheets. For Christ sakes, dust the computer. A better idea will come.
Number Two:
Your audience is smarter than you imagine. Don’t be afraid to experiment with story forms and time shifts. My personal theory is that younger readers distain most books – not because those readers are dumber than past readers, but because today’s reader is smarter. Movies have made us very sophisticated about storytelling. And your audience is much harder to shock than you can ever imagine.
Number Three:
Before you sit down to write a scene, mull it over in your mind and know the purpose of that scene. What earlier set-ups will this scene pay off? What will it set up for later scenes? How will this scene further your plot? As you work, drive, exercise, hold only this question in your mind. Take a few notes as you have ideas. And only when you’ve decided on the bones of the scene – then, sit and write it. Don’t go to that boring, dusty computer without something in mind. And don’t make your reader slog through a scene in which little or nothing happens.
Number Four:
Surprise yourself. If you can bring the story – or let it bring you – to a place that amazes you, then you can surprise your reader. The moment you can see any well-planned surprise, chances are, so will your sophisticated reader.
Number Five:
When you get stuck, go back and read your earlier scenes, looking for dropped characters or details that you can resurrect as “buried guns.” At the end of writing Fight Club, I had no idea what to do with the office building. But re-reading the first scene, I found the throw-away comment about mixing nitro with paraffin and how it was an iffy method for making plastic explosives. That silly aside (… paraffin has never worked for me…) made the perfect “buried gun” to resurrect at the end and save my storytelling ass.
Number Six:
Use writing as your excuse to throw a party each week – even if you call that party a “workshop.” Any time you can spend time among other people who value and support writing, that will balance those hours you spend alone, writing. Even if someday you sell your work, no amount of money will compensate you for your time spent alone. So, take your “paycheck” up front, make writing an excuse to be around people. When you reach the end of your life – trust me, you won’t look back and savor the moments you spent alone.
Write the book you want to read.
Number Seven:
Let yourself be with Not Knowing. This bit of advice comes through a hundred famous people, through Tom Spanbauer to me and now, you. The longer you can allow a story to take shape, the better that final shape will be. Don’t rush or force the ending of a story or book. All you have to know is the next scene, or the next few scenes. You don’t have to know every moment up to the end, in fact, if you do it’ll be boring as hell to execute.
Number Eight:
If you need more freedom around the story, draft to draft, change the character names. Characters aren’t real, and they aren’t you. By arbitrarily changing their names, you get the distance you need to really torture a character. Or worse, delete a character, if that’s what the story really needs.
Number Nine:
There are three types of speech – I don’t know if this is TRUE, but I heard it in a seminar and it made sense. The three types are: Descriptive, Instructive, and Expressive. Descriptive: “The sun rose high…” Instructive: “Walk, don’t run…” Expressive: “Ouch!” Most fiction writers will only use one – at most, two – of these forms. So use all three. Mix them up. It’s how people talk.
Number Ten:
Write the book you want to read.
Number Eleven:
Get author book jacket photos taken now, while you’re young. And get the negatives and copyright on those photos.
Number Twelve:
Write about the issues that really upset you. Those are the only things worth writing about. In his course, called “Dangerous Writing,” Tom Spanbauer stresses that life is too precious to spend it writing tame, conventional stories to which you have no personal attachment. There are so many things that Tom talked about but that I only half remember: the art of “manumission,” which I can’t spell, but I understood to mean the care you use in moving a reader through the moments of a story. And “sous conversation,” which I took to mean the hidden, buried message within the obvious story. Because I’m not comfortable describing topics I only half-understand, Tom’s agreed to write a book about his workshop and the ideas he teaches. The working title is “A Hole In The Heart,” and he plans to have a draft ready by June 2006, with a publishing date set in early 2007.
Number Thirteen:
Another Christmas window story. Almost every morning, I eat breakfast in the same diner, and this morning a man was painting the windows with Christmas designs. Snowmen. Snowflakes. Bells. Santa Claus. He stood outside on the sidewalk, painting in the freezing cold, his breath steaming, alternating brushes and rollers with different colors of paint. Inside the diner, the customers and servers watched as he layered red and white and blue paint on the outside of the big windows. Behind him the rain changed to snow, falling sideways in the wind.
The painter’s hair was all different colors of gray, and his face was slack and wrinkled as the empty ass of his jeans. Between colors, he’d stop to drink something out of a paper cup.
Watching him from inside, eating eggs and toast, somebody said it was sad. This customer said the man was probably a failed artist. It was probably whiskey in the cup. He probably had a studio full of failed paintings and now made his living decorating cheesy restaurant and grocery store windows. Just sad, sad, sad.
This painter guy kept putting up the colors. All the white “snow,” first. Then some fields of red and green. Then some black outlines that made the color shapes into Xmas stockings and trees.
A server walked around, pouring coffee for people, and said, “That’s so neat. I wish I could do that…”
And whether we envied or pitied this guy in the cold, he kept painting. Adding details and layers of color. And I’m not sure when it happened, but at some moment he wasn’t there. The pictures themselves were so rich, they filled the windows so well, the colors so bright, that the painter had left. Whether he was a failure or a hero. He’d disappeared, gone off to wherever, and all we were seeing was his work.
For homework, ask your family and friends what you were like as a child. Better yet, ask them what they were like as children. Then, just listen.
Number One:
Two years ago, when I wrote the first of these essays it was about my “egg timer method” of writing. You never saw that essay, but here’s the method: When you don’t want to write, set an egg timer for one hour (or half hour) and sit down to write until the timer rings. If you still hate writing, you’re free in an hour. But usually, by the time that alarm rings, you’ll be so involved in your work, enjoying it so much, you’ll keep going. Instead of an egg timer, you can put a load of clothes in the washer or dryer and use them to time your work. Alternating the thoughtful task of writing with the mindless work of laundry or dish washing will give you the breaks you need for new ideas and insights to occur. If you don’t know what comes next in the story… clean your toilet. Change the bed sheets. For Christ sakes, dust the computer. A better idea will come.
Number Two:
Your audience is smarter than you imagine. Don’t be afraid to experiment with story forms and time shifts. My personal theory is that younger readers distain most books – not because those readers are dumber than past readers, but because today’s reader is smarter. Movies have made us very sophisticated about storytelling. And your audience is much harder to shock than you can ever imagine.
Number Three:
Before you sit down to write a scene, mull it over in your mind and know the purpose of that scene. What earlier set-ups will this scene pay off? What will it set up for later scenes? How will this scene further your plot? As you work, drive, exercise, hold only this question in your mind. Take a few notes as you have ideas. And only when you’ve decided on the bones of the scene – then, sit and write it. Don’t go to that boring, dusty computer without something in mind. And don’t make your reader slog through a scene in which little or nothing happens.
Number Four:
Surprise yourself. If you can bring the story – or let it bring you – to a place that amazes you, then you can surprise your reader. The moment you can see any well-planned surprise, chances are, so will your sophisticated reader.
Number Five:
When you get stuck, go back and read your earlier scenes, looking for dropped characters or details that you can resurrect as “buried guns.” At the end of writing Fight Club, I had no idea what to do with the office building. But re-reading the first scene, I found the throw-away comment about mixing nitro with paraffin and how it was an iffy method for making plastic explosives. That silly aside (… paraffin has never worked for me…) made the perfect “buried gun” to resurrect at the end and save my storytelling ass.
Number Six:
Use writing as your excuse to throw a party each week – even if you call that party a “workshop.” Any time you can spend time among other people who value and support writing, that will balance those hours you spend alone, writing. Even if someday you sell your work, no amount of money will compensate you for your time spent alone. So, take your “paycheck” up front, make writing an excuse to be around people. When you reach the end of your life – trust me, you won’t look back and savor the moments you spent alone.
Write the book you want to read.
Number Seven:
Let yourself be with Not Knowing. This bit of advice comes through a hundred famous people, through Tom Spanbauer to me and now, you. The longer you can allow a story to take shape, the better that final shape will be. Don’t rush or force the ending of a story or book. All you have to know is the next scene, or the next few scenes. You don’t have to know every moment up to the end, in fact, if you do it’ll be boring as hell to execute.
Number Eight:
If you need more freedom around the story, draft to draft, change the character names. Characters aren’t real, and they aren’t you. By arbitrarily changing their names, you get the distance you need to really torture a character. Or worse, delete a character, if that’s what the story really needs.
Number Nine:
There are three types of speech – I don’t know if this is TRUE, but I heard it in a seminar and it made sense. The three types are: Descriptive, Instructive, and Expressive. Descriptive: “The sun rose high…” Instructive: “Walk, don’t run…” Expressive: “Ouch!” Most fiction writers will only use one – at most, two – of these forms. So use all three. Mix them up. It’s how people talk.
Number Ten:
Write the book you want to read.
Number Eleven:
Get author book jacket photos taken now, while you’re young. And get the negatives and copyright on those photos.
Number Twelve:
Write about the issues that really upset you. Those are the only things worth writing about. In his course, called “Dangerous Writing,” Tom Spanbauer stresses that life is too precious to spend it writing tame, conventional stories to which you have no personal attachment. There are so many things that Tom talked about but that I only half remember: the art of “manumission,” which I can’t spell, but I understood to mean the care you use in moving a reader through the moments of a story. And “sous conversation,” which I took to mean the hidden, buried message within the obvious story. Because I’m not comfortable describing topics I only half-understand, Tom’s agreed to write a book about his workshop and the ideas he teaches. The working title is “A Hole In The Heart,” and he plans to have a draft ready by June 2006, with a publishing date set in early 2007.
Number Thirteen:
Another Christmas window story. Almost every morning, I eat breakfast in the same diner, and this morning a man was painting the windows with Christmas designs. Snowmen. Snowflakes. Bells. Santa Claus. He stood outside on the sidewalk, painting in the freezing cold, his breath steaming, alternating brushes and rollers with different colors of paint. Inside the diner, the customers and servers watched as he layered red and white and blue paint on the outside of the big windows. Behind him the rain changed to snow, falling sideways in the wind.
The painter’s hair was all different colors of gray, and his face was slack and wrinkled as the empty ass of his jeans. Between colors, he’d stop to drink something out of a paper cup.
Watching him from inside, eating eggs and toast, somebody said it was sad. This customer said the man was probably a failed artist. It was probably whiskey in the cup. He probably had a studio full of failed paintings and now made his living decorating cheesy restaurant and grocery store windows. Just sad, sad, sad.
This painter guy kept putting up the colors. All the white “snow,” first. Then some fields of red and green. Then some black outlines that made the color shapes into Xmas stockings and trees.
A server walked around, pouring coffee for people, and said, “That’s so neat. I wish I could do that…”
And whether we envied or pitied this guy in the cold, he kept painting. Adding details and layers of color. And I’m not sure when it happened, but at some moment he wasn’t there. The pictures themselves were so rich, they filled the windows so well, the colors so bright, that the painter had left. Whether he was a failure or a hero. He’d disappeared, gone off to wherever, and all we were seeing was his work.
For homework, ask your family and friends what you were like as a child. Better yet, ask them what they were like as children. Then, just listen.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
RIP Adrienne Rich, 1929-2012
from “Eastern War Time”
An Atlas of the Difficult World (1991)
7.
Memory says: Want to do right? Don’t count on me.
I’m a canal in Europe where bodies are floating
I’m a mass grave I’m the life that returns
I’m a table set with room for the Stranger
I’m a field with corners left for the landless
I’m accused of child-death of drinking blood
I’m a man-child praising God he’s a man
I’m a woman bargaining for a chicken
I’m a woman who sells for a boat ticket
I’m a family dispersed between night and fog
I’m an immigrant tailor who says A coat
Is not a piece of cloth only I sway
In the learning of the master-mystics
I have dreamed of Zion I’ve dreamed of world revolution
I have dreamed my children could live at last like others
I have walked the children of others through ranks of hatred
I’m a corpse dredged from a canal in Berlin
a river in Mississippi I’m a woman standing
with other women dressed in black
on the streets of Hiafa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem
there is spit on my sleeve there are phonecalls in the night
I am a woman standing in line for gasmasks
I stand on a road in Ramallah with naked face listening
I am standing here in your poem unsatisfied
lifting my smoky mirror
Monday, March 26, 2012
New Students: Registration
Dear Incoming Fall Students,
MFA registration is handled separately from all other registrations. You do not need to do anything about registration right now--please ignore any calls to register that you may receive from the university. I will let you know via the blog when we are ready to move on registration.
bc
MFA registration is handled separately from all other registrations. You do not need to do anything about registration right now--please ignore any calls to register that you may receive from the university. I will let you know via the blog when we are ready to move on registration.
bc
Friday, March 23, 2012
Hooray for Sundeen
The Man Who Quit Money is #1 on Amazon's "Nature & Ecology Essays" section, and it's in the top 1600 sellers on Amazon. That's huge! Check it out...
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Character Development Workshop
Hi All,
Professor Louisa Burns-Bisogna will be offering a workshop on Saturday, March 31 from 10 am to 12 pm in HI206. Let me know if you would like to attend, my email is santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu.
Thanks,
Kristin SM
Workshop: Character Development
Whatever your genre...this workshop will help you flesh out your characters. Building on the basic skeleton ( a bit like the forensic detectives in "Bones" or "CSI") you will create the complex physiological, sociological, historical and psychological identity that defines him or her. This will bring authenticity to your character's motivation, movement and "voice", enrich interaction with other characters and increase opportunities for story.
Book Launch party March 29 in NYC
The college where I teach, LIM, is hosting my book launch party in Midtown Manhattan, next Thursday, March 29th. I'd love it if you can come. Details and RSVP info are below. Blue martinis will be served!
You’re Invited to the Celebration!
Author Talk & Book Launch Party for
LIM College Professor Jane K. Cleland’s 7th Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery
Dolled Up for Murder
from St. Martin's Minotaur
"a winner" Publishers Weekly
Jane will discuss “Smuggling Dolls”
How dolls serve as role models and how fashion relates to image and
how bounty from the Civil War leads to murder.
Thursday March 29, 2012 • 6-8 PM
LIM College • FashionOpolis
12 East 53rd Street • New York City
Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Best Travel Writing Solas Awards
Hey everyone, an article I wrote on recent travels to Cuba garnered a bronze in the 2012 Best Travel Writing Solas Awards. Not a huge deal, but I thought I'd make it available here in case anyone's interested in Cuba or travel writing. Here's the link: http://bit.ly/GDXB2t
If you are interested in going to Cuba and want some travel advice, please feel free to contact me. It's an exciting time to go, as things are in the process of opening up.
Tim
If you are interested in going to Cuba and want some travel advice, please feel free to contact me. It's an exciting time to go, as things are in the process of opening up.
Tim
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
More Good News
John Roche's novel Eighty Eight has made another cut in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It's now down to the top 250. Keep your fingers crossed or knock on wood or spit or throw some rice or whatever it is that you like to do for good luck...
Monday, March 19, 2012
Thesis Proposals
Thesis Students,
I have sent responses from the Thesis Committee to all of you. If you have not read your response yet, check your wcsu email. Let me know if you have any questions.
bc
I have sent responses from the Thesis Committee to all of you. If you have not read your response yet, check your wcsu email. Let me know if you have any questions.
bc
Staged Reading of Quarter Year Dilemmas
Hello my fellow MFAers,I'm thrilled to share that there will be a staged reading of Quarter Year Dilemmas on March 31, 2012 at Bru Cafe, 141 Orange Street, New Haven, Connecticut (downtown, two blocks from the New Haven green) from 4 to 8 p.m. The event includes an hour of networking and a talkback with audience members, where they can provide feedback on the play, which will be incorporated into subsequent readings and the final production.
"Quarter Life Dilemmas" examines the lives of four friends in their mid-twenties who have realized that life's not so much 'Sex in the City' as it is 'Broke, in Debt, and Hate my Job in the City.'
The reading is part of SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day. Despite the many great accomplishments women have made over the years, they continue to face enormous employment discrimination in the arts, entertainment, and media industries. SWAN Day recognizes this fact and challenges women artists, writers, directors and performers to use their creativity to bring awareness to this issue of disparity that women artists face on a daily basis.
The ProduceHERS is a new collaborative effort created by Halima Flynn and Aaliyah Miller aimed at producing new works written and directed by women and building audiences for female theatre artists. Anne Witkavich, a fellow MFA alum, will be participating in the reading. I hope to see you there.
Aaliyah
Sunday, March 18, 2012
The Perfect Writing Place
If anyone is interested in a cottage rental that offers the perfect setting to write and edit - private road, on a pond, quiet - but is a 10 minute ride to beaches and sand dunes, 15-20 minutes to Hyannis, Cape Cod, 20 minutes to Plimoth Plantation and an hour to Boston, let me know.
My cottage is in the Ellisville section of South Plymouth...I have some times this spring and summer still available for rental. It is a perfect writing retreat for a solo venture or for a few writing friends to gather, write, relax and enjoy a getaway.
If interested, e-mail me at AnneWitkavitch@comcast.net.
My cottage is in the Ellisville section of South Plymouth...I have some times this spring and summer still available for rental. It is a perfect writing retreat for a solo venture or for a few writing friends to gather, write, relax and enjoy a getaway.
If interested, e-mail me at AnneWitkavitch@comcast.net.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Res Fee
I'm happy to report that I've been informed that the Residency Fee (may show as "Program Fee" on your bills) will NOT go up this year--will remain at $800 per residency.
bc
bc
A snack before the poetry smack.
Would anyone care to join me at Pancho's Taco for a bite to eat before Brian's Poetry Workshop?
I'll be there around 5. Ciao, Andy
I'll be there around 5. Ciao, Andy
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Book Contest worth checking out
Poets,
One of the many first-book contests out there. Check it out... deadline is shortly after the thesis due date...
http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contest/index.html
Consult Poets & Writers, AWP Chronicle, and CWROPPS listserv for other similar opportunities.
bc
One of the many first-book contests out there. Check it out... deadline is shortly after the thesis due date...
http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contest/index.html
Consult Poets & Writers, AWP Chronicle, and CWROPPS listserv for other similar opportunities.
bc
Enrichment Presentations
Hello All,
If you are going to be presententing your enrichment project at the August residency, please let me know as soon as possible, so I can work you into the schedule, on which I already have begun work.
bc
If you are going to be presententing your enrichment project at the August residency, please let me know as soon as possible, so I can work you into the schedule, on which I already have begun work.
bc
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
March Madness is for Poets and Writers, Too!
Dear Students, Graduates, and Faculty:
We're starting a new tradition in the MFA program--the annual March Madness pool. This is purely for fun--no wagering, please!--and for the pleasure of bragging about your basketball knowledge at the August residency.
If you'd like to enter, email me for the group password. Then create your bracket at ESPN.com (you'll need a free ESPN account), click the Join a Group link, and search for a group called "MFA Pool". It's that easy!
Here's the gauntlet--I THREW IT ON THE GROUND!
bc
We're starting a new tradition in the MFA program--the annual March Madness pool. This is purely for fun--no wagering, please!--and for the pleasure of bragging about your basketball knowledge at the August residency.
If you'd like to enter, email me for the group password. Then create your bracket at ESPN.com (you'll need a free ESPN account), click the Join a Group link, and search for a group called "MFA Pool". It's that easy!
Here's the gauntlet--I THREW IT ON THE GROUND!
bc
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Writing it forward
This piece, featured on the Technorati.com Women's Channel today, means the world to me. You'll understand why when you read it. It's an update of an assignment I wrote while in the program - for Daniel Nester - a few years ago. What a guy!
http://technorati.com/women/article/prolonged-grief-increases-young-widows-health/
http://technorati.com/women/article/prolonged-grief-increases-young-widows-health/
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Listen Party!
Attention poets and poetic writers. A friend of mine has a very cool, very free, online audio journal of poetry called "Listen Party". Check it by clicking on this blog post title. I love the idea of bringing poetry to life and am hoping to come up with something to submit. You should too! Here are the submission guidelines for the current issue.
ISSUE 5 / WITNESS
It was like he couldn’t change without a witness. There was no one there to see. No witnesses to speak of. Without a witness, who would believe it had happened? Without a witness, how could I even be sure? I was brought in and told to say what I saw. At some point I stopped being myself. Even if I didn’t have the language to understand what was happening I would be tied to this event for ever. It had nothing to do with me and yet I was to be irrevocably changed from it. They would feel a need to trivialize this role by giving it a name. They would call me the Witness.
Listen Party wants your recorded submissions with the theme of "WITNESS" for its fifth issue.
Guidelines for Submission
Listen Party welcomes any type of audio recording tied to the theme of each issue. Send us your recorded stories, poetry, songs, sounds, dialogues, monologues, rants, background noise, phone calls, voicemail, sound bites, collages, found sound, experimental works, correspondence, or any other items of interest that can be captured via sound waves.
We accept multiple submissions for the same theme.
We prefer mp3 files at the highest bit rate possible, but we'll pretty much take whatever sound file you've got, so long as we can find a way to play it. If accepted, we may ask you for a higher quality format, if you have it.
Please attach your audio file in an e-mail or send a streaming audio link to submissions (at) listenparty (dot) com.
If you cannot record your submission and live in the New York City area please send your written submission as text pasted into an e-mail and include how you where you wish to have it recorded. Upon notification of acceptance we will make plans to meet and record in your specified location.
March is Small Press Month
News some of us can use about small presses - with a touch of a shout out to one you know. Article went live on technoratic.com today.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Laura Hayden's Book on Amazon's Book List
Laura Hayden's book Staying Alive: A Love Story was recently ranked on Amazon's list of top books & ebooks in the section of Grief and Bereavement.
Congratulations Laura!
Best,
KSM
Congratulations Laura!
Best,
KSM
AWP Member Log In
Hi All,
We are going to stop mailing out The Writer's Chronicle. As a member of the AWP, you can access this online at http://elink.awpwriter.org/.
To login, you need a username and a password. If you would like to access the awp website as a member, I need your email address. Please send me an email giving me permission to use your email address to set up an account for you with the AWP. My email is santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu.
Thanks,
Kristin
We are going to stop mailing out The Writer's Chronicle. As a member of the AWP, you can access this online at http://elink.awpwriter.org/.
To login, you need a username and a password. If you would like to access the awp website as a member, I need your email address. Please send me an email giving me permission to use your email address to set up an account for you with the AWP. My email is santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu.
Thanks,
Kristin
Monday, March 05, 2012
Dealer's Choice Poetry Workshop
Hi All,
Brian will be giving a poetry workshop from 6:30-9 pm on Friday, March 16 in HI 206.
Description: At this workshop, we will respond to work by each participant, but our responses will be guided by a specific question (or two or three) that each participant will bring to us—questions may be technical in nature, or may have to do with readability, or clarity of meaning, or whatever else the poet considers to be important. Participants are encouraged to bring their own poem for discussion, but are also welcome to bring a poem by someone else (published or not) as long as there are accompanying questions for discussion. The more specific and well formulated the questions are, the more able we all will be to provide directed and useful feedback.
Bring 15 copies of a single poem and prepare your discussion question(s) in advance.
If you wish to attend, RSVP to me via email santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu by Monday, Mar. 12.
Thanks,
Kristin
Brian will be giving a poetry workshop from 6:30-9 pm on Friday, March 16 in HI 206.
Description: At this workshop, we will respond to work by each participant, but our responses will be guided by a specific question (or two or three) that each participant will bring to us—questions may be technical in nature, or may have to do with readability, or clarity of meaning, or whatever else the poet considers to be important. Participants are encouraged to bring their own poem for discussion, but are also welcome to bring a poem by someone else (published or not) as long as there are accompanying questions for discussion. The more specific and well formulated the questions are, the more able we all will be to provide directed and useful feedback.
Bring 15 copies of a single poem and prepare your discussion question(s) in advance.
If you wish to attend, RSVP to me via email santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu by Monday, Mar. 12.
Thanks,
Kristin
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Thesis Binders - Amazon
For those of you in Thesis semester who have not yet secured your required two (2) binders, I see that Amazon offers the same binders to which the MFA Web Page links you:
The Amazon price is substantively better, you receive them from the same company and you do not have to purchase a quantity of six (6) as the MFA page link seems to compel.
I ordered three (3)today (1 inch--because my poetry collection will only require about 75 pages total) and the price "out-the-door-shipped" was only $59.xx.
jus' sayin'
cheers
vk
The Amazon price is substantively better, you receive them from the same company and you do not have to purchase a quantity of six (6) as the MFA page link seems to compel.
I ordered three (3)today (1 inch--because my poetry collection will only require about 75 pages total) and the price "out-the-door-shipped" was only $59.xx.
jus' sayin'
cheers
vk
THE BIG CLICK is live
My friend Jeremy and I have launched a new online magazine of crime and noir fiction called
...that's right, The Big Click.
First issue features fiction from Ken Bruen and Anonymous-9, a new column by Tom Piccirilli, and an interview with Joe R. Lansdale.
Our business model is simple: we dole out the content online over the course of weeks for people who wish to read for free—come back and click an ad next week too!—and also offer the entire magazine immediately for e-readers for the low price of $2.99. This allows us to pay our writers, a rarity for online crime fiction magazines.
Please check us out. We're not open to over the transom submissions as of yet, but I'd like to hear from my old WestConn friends and colleagues if they have something suitable. There are guidelines on the site.
...that's right, The Big Click.
First issue features fiction from Ken Bruen and Anonymous-9, a new column by Tom Piccirilli, and an interview with Joe R. Lansdale.
Our business model is simple: we dole out the content online over the course of weeks for people who wish to read for free—come back and click an ad next week too!—and also offer the entire magazine immediately for e-readers for the low price of $2.99. This allows us to pay our writers, a rarity for online crime fiction magazines.
Please check us out. We're not open to over the transom submissions as of yet, but I'd like to hear from my old WestConn friends and colleagues if they have something suitable. There are guidelines on the site.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Reminder: Workshop this Friday
Just a reminder that Dr. Patrick Ryan will be offering the following workshop this Friday:
Teaching College Writing: Getting Your First Job(s).
Time & Place: 5-7 PM, HI 206
Email me (santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu) if you want to go.
Thanks,
Kristin
Teaching College Writing: Getting Your First Job(s).
Time & Place: 5-7 PM, HI 206
Email me (santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu) if you want to go.
Thanks,
Kristin
Ten-Minute Play and Webisode Festival
WCSU is seeking entries for the a Ten-Minute Play & Webisode Festival being held on Saturday, April 14 from 1-4 pm in the Student Center Theater on Midtown Campus.
The deadline to submit is March 12. For information on the Festival and application rules go to:
www.wcsu.edu/tenminuteplay/
The deadline to submit is March 12. For information on the Festival and application rules go to:
www.wcsu.edu/tenminuteplay/
Roger Boylan in The Evergreen Review
Roger Boylan's Killoyle 3, since redubbed The Maladjusted Terrorist, is featured in part in The Evergreen Review:
http://www.evergreenreview.com/current/fic_maladjusted_terrorist.shtml
http://www.evergreenreview.com/current/fic_maladjusted_terrorist.shtml
Monday, February 20, 2012
Dolled Up for Murder - a great review from PW!
From Publishers Weekly: Dolled Up for Murder
Jane K. Cleland. Minotaur, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-250-00184-9
In Cleland’s winning seventh Josie Prescott antiques mystery (after 2011’s Deadly Threads), someone guns down Josie’s friend and client, financial adviser Alice Michaels, outside Josie’s Rocky Point, N.H., shop, Prescott’s Antiques and Auctions, shortly after the two women examine a valuable collection of dolls that Josie just bought for resale. That Alice “was being investigated for running a mega-Ponzi scheme” may suggest a motive for murder. When Josie’s loyal shop assistant, Eric, disappears, kidnappers demand the prized dolls as ransom. Meanwhile, Josie finds rare Civil War currency inside a vintage Chatty Cathy doll with the miniphonograph removed. Working with Rocky Point’s limited police force (no FBI wanted for this homespun case) and amid eager reporters, Josie once again proves an adept sleuth. The action builds to a seamless and fitting conclusion. Author tour. Agent: Cristina Concepcion, Don Congdon Associates. (Mar.)
Reviewed on: 02/20/2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
My Essay, "Artmaking," in Writer's Digest
Hi friends,
Just an exciting note that my essay, "Artmaking," (about trying to finish an MFA thesis while very pregnant) is out in the March 2012 issue of Writer's Digest. It landed on the "5-Minute-Memoir" page. Special mention of Daniel Asa Rose, my mentor who kept kicking my butt into gear, and special thanks to Sonja Mongar, who helped me find the book that influenced me to keep going. You can read the essay on my blog at www.katemeadows.wordpress.com. Cheers! -Kate Meadows
Just an exciting note that my essay, "Artmaking," (about trying to finish an MFA thesis while very pregnant) is out in the March 2012 issue of Writer's Digest. It landed on the "5-Minute-Memoir" page. Special mention of Daniel Asa Rose, my mentor who kept kicking my butt into gear, and special thanks to Sonja Mongar, who helped me find the book that influenced me to keep going. You can read the essay on my blog at www.katemeadows.wordpress.com. Cheers! -Kate Meadows
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Enter the Black Orchid Novella Award - $1,000 + publication in AHMM
Submissions are welcome for the Black Orchid Novella Award (BONA), a blind contest run by the Wolfe Pack in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. The deadline is May 31, 2012. The winner receives $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.
Full rules are here: http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/neroaward/black_orchid_award/BO_award_proc.htm
Any questions? Please contact me directly. (I'm the Wolfe Pack's Literary Awards Chair.)
Full rules are here: http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/neroaward/black_orchid_award/BO_award_proc.htm
Any questions? Please contact me directly. (I'm the Wolfe Pack's Literary Awards Chair.)
Friday, February 10, 2012
First Publication!
AH!!!!! My first short story will be published in The MacGuffin literary magazine in an upcoming issue!!!!!!! Probably spring/summer 2012 issue! I can't breathe...
It's called SOME OF US.
It's called SOME OF US.
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Teaching College Writing: Getting Your First Job(s)
Hi All,
Dr. Ryan will be offering the following workshop on Friday, Feb. 24 in HI206 from 5-7 pm.
Teaching College Writing: Getting Your First Job(s)
In this seminar for graduate students who plan to teach college writing, I will provide an overview of writing programs and jobs for MFAs. Then, I will focus on strategies for finding a job, applying for it, and interviewing. Participants will be asked to share their experiences. Participants may bring their resumes, statements of teaching philosophy, and one or two versions of a letter of application, but it will not be necessary to bring any such documents.
If you’d like to attend please send me an email (santamaria005@connect.wcsu.edu) by Feb. 17.
Thanks,
Kristin
Anthology CFS
Thought this might appeal to a few of you (Kristin, Becca, maybe a few others...). This comes from the Creative Writers Opportunities List, to which I encourage you ALL to subscribe immediately. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CRWROPPS-B/
We are looking for YA short stories to include in our first ebook anthology, titled Timeless!
If your short story is between 3000 and 7500 words and fits into the genre of YA historical romance with some twists, we want to read it. The story can include steampunk, fantasy, or adventure, as long as it includes some historical elements then we are interested in reading it.
Submit the whole manuscript as a Word .doc file (no .docx) by March 30, 2012, with the subject heading: submission–YA anthology.
Please include a bio, publishing credits if any, and a synopsis.
Email:
(replace (at) with @ in sending email)
We are looking for YA short stories to include in our first ebook anthology, titled Timeless!
If your short story is between 3000 and 7500 words and fits into the genre of YA historical romance with some twists, we want to read it. The story can include steampunk, fantasy, or adventure, as long as it includes some historical elements then we are interested in reading it.
Submit the whole manuscript as a Word .doc file (no .docx) by March 30, 2012, with the subject heading: submission–YA anthology.
Please include a bio, publishing credits if any, and a synopsis.
Email:
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Writing Opportunity with hamlethub.com
Folks, I have been in touch with Ken Ducey from hamlethub.com. He is very interested in WestConn MFA students who might be interested in internships or simply in writing stories for hamlethub in your area. As we have discussed many times, you never know what such work will lead to or turn into. So if this interests you, I strongly urge you to look into it. Some text from Ken below with more info...
bc
HamletHub.com is a very exciting startup which could be a great opportunity for Westconn students to learn more about citizen journalism and the new media industry.
We are currently growing from 11 towns in CT, and are seeking writers and reporters who can assist us in providing local news to the residents of various communities. The site currently covers many aspects of a town’s life that are not reported or under-reported by the local or national newspapers. This site has shown to have a strong impact on towns by providing information that is simply not readily available.
One example is politics. The Governor is proposing a number of new initiatives regarding education. How does that affect the residents of Danbury? Does it have a different effect if you live in New Fairfield?
Another area is simple recreational and charity events. Do you know all the parks that are open to the public in Danbury? How about the charity for dogs event this Friday? By providing a place for people to enter this information, and to read it, we can make communities better.
We are looking for people who would like to better understand new media, especially on a local level, to help us with this endeavor. Please have anyone interested call us at (203)431-6400, or email editors@hamlethub.com.
Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.
bc
HamletHub.com is a very exciting startup which could be a great opportunity for Westconn students to learn more about citizen journalism and the new media industry.
We are currently growing from 11 towns in CT, and are seeking writers and reporters who can assist us in providing local news to the residents of various communities. The site currently covers many aspects of a town’s life that are not reported or under-reported by the local or national newspapers. This site has shown to have a strong impact on towns by providing information that is simply not readily available.
One example is politics. The Governor is proposing a number of new initiatives regarding education. How does that affect the residents of Danbury? Does it have a different effect if you live in New Fairfield?
Another area is simple recreational and charity events. Do you know all the parks that are open to the public in Danbury? How about the charity for dogs event this Friday? By providing a place for people to enter this information, and to read it, we can make communities better.
We are looking for people who would like to better understand new media, especially on a local level, to help us with this endeavor. Please have anyone interested call us at (203)431-6400, or email editors@hamlethub.com.
Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.
Future Student
Hello Everyone!
I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jenn Powers and I will be attending WestConn in the fall. I write fiction: short-shorts, short stories, novels, and novellas. I am a previously unpublished writer but submit my work constantly. As R.V. Cassill said, "A writer's apprenticeship isn't over until his first million words have been written." I'm getting there...
I hope the program will be able to help pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses and possibly accelerate where I want to go. I'm excited to find my niche. I love adventure, new experiences and challenges that help me grow as an individual and as an aspiring writer.
I'm 34 years old and I am so excited to have this chance to attend WestConn. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you at school and at the residencies. Thank you, thank you, thank you for choosing me. I bring maddening, inspiring, interesting life experiences and I believe professors and mentors and fellow writers have those experiences as well and we can all benefit from such symbiotic relationships. It's about tapping into the human condition inside those experiences that interconnects all of us. Those experiences can be turned into stories, the pain and joy injected into our characters, and we can all benefit from reading those stories that bleed onto the page.
Thank you.
Truly,
Jenn Powers
I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jenn Powers and I will be attending WestConn in the fall. I write fiction: short-shorts, short stories, novels, and novellas. I am a previously unpublished writer but submit my work constantly. As R.V. Cassill said, "A writer's apprenticeship isn't over until his first million words have been written." I'm getting there...
I hope the program will be able to help pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses and possibly accelerate where I want to go. I'm excited to find my niche. I love adventure, new experiences and challenges that help me grow as an individual and as an aspiring writer.
I'm 34 years old and I am so excited to have this chance to attend WestConn. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you at school and at the residencies. Thank you, thank you, thank you for choosing me. I bring maddening, inspiring, interesting life experiences and I believe professors and mentors and fellow writers have those experiences as well and we can all benefit from such symbiotic relationships. It's about tapping into the human condition inside those experiences that interconnects all of us. Those experiences can be turned into stories, the pain and joy injected into our characters, and we can all benefit from reading those stories that bleed onto the page.
Thank you.
Truly,
Jenn Powers
Still Need an Internship??
Looking for someone to replace me as Barbara Probst Solomon's main intern. The position is unpaid and requires weekly trips to Manhattan. Her apartment is on the Upper East Side just a few stops north of Grand Central (or a few stops south of Harlem-125th) on the New Haven Live.
Barbara is a world-renowned author, essayist and journalist and a very interesting, kind person. Her project The Reading Room "Its Debatable" is still in the early stages. In short, it is an international literary blog. If you have an interest in very good writing and/or international affairs this might be a good fit for you. Experience with Word Press is also a plus, but not necessary.
I will still be involved in the project but will not be able to attend weekly meetings. Please email me if you are interested or if you have any questions. Carolyn31@gmail.com
Barbara is a world-renowned author, essayist and journalist and a very interesting, kind person. Her project The Reading Room "Its Debatable" is still in the early stages. In short, it is an international literary blog. If you have an interest in very good writing and/or international affairs this might be a good fit for you. Experience with Word Press is also a plus, but not necessary.
I will still be involved in the project but will not be able to attend weekly meetings. Please email me if you are interested or if you have any questions. Carolyn31@gmail.com
Must love dogs.
Monday, February 06, 2012
New blog on the writing craft
Hey all - I've just launched Storycraft, a new blog focused mainly on storytelling and the writing craft (http://weedlit.blogspot.com/). It features the kind of pragmatic close reading that is so important for all of our continued development as writers - and yes, this is also true for those of us who already have MFA's and/or publishing success.
Stop by for a visit, comment if you like, and "follow by email." New postings will come out every two weeks - so it won't overwhelm your inbox, I promise! The focus is mostly fiction, but there will eventually be some nonfiction featured as well.
If you like the content, help me spread the word on Facebook and Twitter!
Hope everyone's semester is going well.
Tim Weed
Stop by for a visit, comment if you like, and "follow by email." New postings will come out every two weeks - so it won't overwhelm your inbox, I promise! The focus is mostly fiction, but there will eventually be some nonfiction featured as well.
If you like the content, help me spread the word on Facebook and Twitter!
Hope everyone's semester is going well.
Tim Weed
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Colson Whitehead
At the wrap-up meeting, someone expressed interest in having Colson Whitehead as a Visiting Writer. Can't remember who it was, so I thought I'd just post this here. Whitehead is reading at Yale, well... tomorrow...
Colson Whitehead
Reading: Monday, February 6, 2012 at 4:30 p.m.
Reception to follow. Free & open to the public
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
121 Wall Street
Colson Whitehead is the author of the novels The Intuitionist (1999), a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award; John Henry Days (2001), which won the Young Lions Fiction Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Apex Hides the Hurt (2006), which won the PEN/Oakland award; Sag Harbor (2009), a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner; and, most recently, Zone One (2011), a zombie novel set in Manhattan. He has also written a book of essays about his hometown, The Colossus of New York (2003), and his reviews, essays, and fiction have appeared in a number of publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper's, and Grantland.com. A recipient of a Whiting Writers Award and a MacArthur Fellowship, Whitehead lives in Brooklyn, and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton.
Colson Whitehead
Reading: Monday, February 6, 2012 at 4:30 p.m.
Reception to follow. Free & open to the public
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
121 Wall Street
Colson Whitehead is the author of the novels The Intuitionist (1999), a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award; John Henry Days (2001), which won the Young Lions Fiction Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Prize, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Apex Hides the Hurt (2006), which won the PEN/Oakland award; Sag Harbor (2009), a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner; and, most recently, Zone One (2011), a zombie novel set in Manhattan. He has also written a book of essays about his hometown, The Colossus of New York (2003), and his reviews, essays, and fiction have appeared in a number of publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper's, and Grantland.com. A recipient of a Whiting Writers Award and a MacArthur Fellowship, Whitehead lives in Brooklyn, and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton.
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Please Vote For My Book
Voting takes place during February and March.
The memoir, a series of essays that chronicles my and my children's struggle after my husband's death over ten years ago, has been described by one reviewer as a beautiful reminder of what really matters. Others have referred to it as a personal, humorous, and inspiring view into the grief process.
These reviews and other information about the memoir can be found on my website.
Thank you for your support,
Laura :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Free Writer Workshops
I will be facilitating two FREE writers workshops on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Clark Memorial Library in Bethany, CT. They are geared toward women but men may attend, too!
The first is The Parent Trap: Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Essays about Family, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.The second is Cybermoms: Opportunities for Women Writers on the Web, which takes place from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
You can attend one or both. Space is limited so it is highly suggested you call the library to reserve a space 203-393-2103 or sign up at the desk.
The workshops are based on my articles in a newly released book titled, Women Writing on Family: Tips for Writing, Teaching and Publishing, edited by Carol Smallwood and Suzann Holland, and published by The Key Publishing House Inc.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Women in Jeopardy
For those of you going to AWP this year, I'll be moderating a panel. Here's the details... I hope to see you there.
R141. Women in Jeopardy: Crime Fiction, Thursday, 10:30 A.M.-11:45 A.M., Wiliford B, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Moderator: Jane Cleland. Panelists: Danielle Egan-Miller, Jamie Freveletti, Julie Hyzy, Joanna MacKenzie
Three best-selling and award-winning crime fiction writers and two top literary agents will discuss the role gender plays in their trade. Are tough gal detectives taken as seriously as tough guy detectives? What does the popularity of female-oriented subgenres like chick lit and cozies and crossover categories like YA paranormal say about the market? With e-publishing sweeping across the genre, are women authors in more or less jeopardy than before? How can new writers break into the field?
R141. Women in Jeopardy: Crime Fiction, Thursday, 10:30 A.M.-11:45 A.M., Wiliford B, Hilton Chicago, 3rd Floor
Moderator: Jane Cleland. Panelists: Danielle Egan-Miller, Jamie Freveletti, Julie Hyzy, Joanna MacKenzie
Three best-selling and award-winning crime fiction writers and two top literary agents will discuss the role gender plays in their trade. Are tough gal detectives taken as seriously as tough guy detectives? What does the popularity of female-oriented subgenres like chick lit and cozies and crossover categories like YA paranormal say about the market? With e-publishing sweeping across the genre, are women authors in more or less jeopardy than before? How can new writers break into the field?
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
AWP Conference Closing Registration
Just heard from AWP that they are closing registration after the end of this week. There are 9300 people registered already. So if you want to go, you need to register in the next two days. They will not be taking on-site registrations.
AWP Conference
I will be driving from CT to Chicago for the AWP conference, Feb. 29-Mar. 3. I have room for a couple of passengers in my car, if anyone is interested in going. Email me if so...
If you've never been to an AWP conference, I highly recommend that you go at least once.
If you've never been to an AWP conference, I highly recommend that you go at least once.
MFA office
Hi All,
Hope everyone's semester is off to a great start. Just wanted to remind any MFA students on campus that you are welcome to use the space in the MFA office, Higgins 205E, to do work or use the computer.
Someone is in the MFA office on most days or Laurel (HI205) can let you in.
Thanks,
Kristin
Hope everyone's semester is off to a great start. Just wanted to remind any MFA students on campus that you are welcome to use the space in the MFA office, Higgins 205E, to do work or use the computer.
Someone is in the MFA office on most days or Laurel (HI205) can let you in.
Thanks,
Kristin
Monday, January 23, 2012
OMG!Ws and Syllabi
Just a reminder that syllabi were due today, and there are quite a few I haven't received. Unless you're certain that your mentors have sent your syllabi to me, please remind them to do so.
The syllabus for my section of the OMGW is up, and I believe Holly's should be as well.
Bon voyage!
The syllabus for my section of the OMGW is up, and I believe Holly's should be as well.
Bon voyage!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
August 2012 Residency Dates
For those of you who like to plan ahead and make early travel plans for better airfare:
July 29-August 5 (29th and 5th are travel days)
July 29-August 5 (29th and 5th are travel days)
Call for Submissions
Got this call from a place called Fiction Brigade,
"a digital publisher of flash fiction. Our website is dedicated to digital stories in the short form, which to us includes complete stories that are 50-1500 words, short graphics or art, and videos under two minutes.
We are currently accepting submissions on a rolling schedule, and we would greatly appreciate it if you passed along our information to your students. Starting this year we are publishing ebooks on a monthly basis, and all topics and themes for each ebook can be found on our website. All contributors whose stories accepted will have their work available through all the major digital channels: Amazon, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc."
I know nothing about this outfit, but it looked like somethinng might interest some of you enough to look into it...
bc
"a digital publisher of flash fiction. Our website is dedicated to digital stories in the short form, which to us includes complete stories that are 50-1500 words, short graphics or art, and videos under two minutes.
We are currently accepting submissions on a rolling schedule, and we would greatly appreciate it if you passed along our information to your students. Starting this year we are publishing ebooks on a monthly basis, and all topics and themes for each ebook can be found on our website. All contributors whose stories accepted will have their work available through all the major digital channels: Amazon, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc."
I know nothing about this outfit, but it looked like somethinng might interest some of you enough to look into it...
bc
Sunday, January 15, 2012
poem in Orion magazine
Hi folks,
Just want to share a poem I have in the current issue of Orion magazine. It's a beautiful, important magazine that I've long admired, so it's very exciting to be in it. Scroll down to poetry from the link...
It was great to see some of you at the rez briefly!
-Kateri
Thursday, January 12, 2012
my emergency is over!
Hello Everyone,
A perfect example of the power of backing up your data. Alas, I found an old flash drive, and now I'm only missing three weeks of my email life, but, I've got my addresses and such...it's wonderful to be back in touch.
Thank you, Andy
A perfect example of the power of backing up your data. Alas, I found an old flash drive, and now I'm only missing three weeks of my email life, but, I've got my addresses and such...it's wonderful to be back in touch.
Thank you, Andy
I could use a bit of help.
Hello fellow peeps,
I've blown up my outlook files and would love to rebuild my directory. If you have my "sbcglobal" email address please send me an email there so that I can rebuild. Thanks, Andy
I've blown up my outlook files and would love to rebuild my directory. If you have my "sbcglobal" email address please send me an email there so that I can rebuild. Thanks, Andy
Thesis Deadlines
Dear Thesis Students:
A reminder/clarification: the due dates for proposal and for final thesis submission are HARD deadlines, not postmark deadlines. That is, they are due in the MFA office on those dates.
A reminder/clarification: the due dates for proposal and for final thesis submission are HARD deadlines, not postmark deadlines. That is, they are due in the MFA office on those dates.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
On-Campus Workshops
Question for those of you who live close enough to come to campus for workshops this semester:
We're planning to do several workshops this semester, and I'd like to know when you all would prefer to have them?
Tuesday evening?
Wednesday evening?
Friday evening?
Saturday afternoon?
Saturday evening?
Comment here to express your preference. If there is little or no response, then I will assume there is no need for us to hold the workshops at all.
We're planning to do several workshops this semester, and I'd like to know when you all would prefer to have them?
Tuesday evening?
Wednesday evening?
Friday evening?
Saturday afternoon?
Saturday evening?
Comment here to express your preference. If there is little or no response, then I will assume there is no need for us to hold the workshops at all.
Penguin/Amazon Breakthrough Award
Penguin Group (USA) is pleased to be sponsoring the 5th annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award which will offer each of two grand prize winners a $15,000 publishing contract with Penguin Group (USA). You can read the official announcement here. There will be one winner in adult fiction and one winner in YA fiction.
Eligible writers with an English-language novel can submit their work between January 23 and February 5, 2012.
Eligible writers with an English-language novel can submit their work between January 23 and February 5, 2012.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Mystery Writing Scholarship Opportunity
As many folks know, I recommend Chris Roerden's book, Don't Murder Your Mystery, as a resource. Chris is the current chair of the McCloy-MWA Scholarship Program, which is administered by Mystery Writers of America. The following is an email I received today from Chris:
"Unpublished mystery writers: Don't wait until the postmark deadline of Feb. 29, 2012, to decide to apply for a scholarship to take courses, classes, workshops, or other live (not online) educational programs to improve your writing skills. It will take you more time than you think to pull together the specific info on courses and have in hand the two letters of reference required. If you have not been previously published for money in the mystery field, you are eligible to apply. ("For money" means a publisher paid you; if you paid, you may be considered unpublished).
"Every year, two scholarships of up to $500 each are awarded in the McCloy-MWA Scholarship Program. The samples of mystery writing to submit can be 3 chapters of a novel or nonfiction, or 3 short stories or essays, or a full-length script. There's no entry fee or membership requirement. Applicants even get feedback from one or more of the 5 judges, who are commercially published in mystery fiction, nonfiction, and scriptwriting. Download details and the 2012 application form from http://mysterywriters.org/ (click McCloy
Scholarship in the sidebar)."
"Unpublished mystery writers: Don't wait until the postmark deadline of Feb. 29, 2012, to decide to apply for a scholarship to take courses, classes, workshops, or other live (not online) educational programs to improve your writing skills. It will take you more time than you think to pull together the specific info on courses and have in hand the two letters of reference required. If you have not been previously published for money in the mystery field, you are eligible to apply. ("For money" means a publisher paid you; if you paid, you may be considered unpublished).
"Every year, two scholarships of up to $500 each are awarded in the McCloy-MWA Scholarship Program. The samples of mystery writing to submit can be 3 chapters of a novel or nonfiction, or 3 short stories or essays, or a full-length script. There's no entry fee or membership requirement. Applicants even get feedback from one or more of the 5 judges, who are commercially published in mystery fiction, nonfiction, and scriptwriting. Download details and the 2012 application form from http://mysterywriters.org/ (click McCloy
Scholarship in the sidebar)."
Dr. Seuss' 7 social media lessons
A little follow-up on the social media workshop some of you attended last week. This article was too perfect not to post here.
Ragan.com
Ragan.com
"Oh, the things you can find if you don't stay behind!"
Monday, January 09, 2012
Canceled Post-Res Gathering
Folks, sorry to say that tonight's gathering is a no-go. We'll find a better opportunity later in the semester to try to get together. And keep eyes open for coming on-campus evening workshops...
bc
bc
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Post-Residency Gathering
Folks, thanks for another great residency! As many of you heard already, we're having a game-watching party at my house tomorrow night (the LSU/Bama Championship Game, for those of you who don't follow football), starting at 8. If you'd like to come, please shoot me an email at clementsb@wcsu.edu so we'll have a good head count, and I'll give you location info.
If I don't see you tomorrow, have a great beginning of the semester...
bc
If I don't see you tomorrow, have a great beginning of the semester...
bc
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Interns Wanted (And We'll Pay, Too)
Hi folks,
The company I work for, Access Intelligence, is hiring an editorial intern for a group of publications, including my own (find it at foliomag.com). It's a paid(!) internship, and is located in Norwalk, CT. We're looking for someone who's serious about journalism, but enjoys a casual work atmosphere and a team environment.
We like: aggression, helpfulness, thorough fact checking and manners. A tough combo to find, but a great opportunity for someone who possesses all of the above. If you'd like to learn more about the internship, click on the link provided, or reach out to me at sbotelho@red7media.com.
Happy New Year, and thanks. Hope everyone enjoys the res this week.
~Stefanie
The company I work for, Access Intelligence, is hiring an editorial intern for a group of publications, including my own (find it at foliomag.com). It's a paid(!) internship, and is located in Norwalk, CT. We're looking for someone who's serious about journalism, but enjoys a casual work atmosphere and a team environment.
We like: aggression, helpfulness, thorough fact checking and manners. A tough combo to find, but a great opportunity for someone who possesses all of the above. If you'd like to learn more about the internship, click on the link provided, or reach out to me at sbotelho@red7media.com.
Happy New Year, and thanks. Hope everyone enjoys the res this week.
~Stefanie
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